Palestinian arrested as police investigate crime ring operating
across West Bank, stealing Israeli cars with drivers still
inside. ´He asked me if I want to die´ says one victim

A 23-year-old Palestinian man was arrested Sunday night while trying
to steal a car from an undercover cop near Qalqilya, police said
Monday.

According to the police, the suspect was carrying a knife at the time
of the arrest. He was turned over to the Shai District police for
interrogation. Police added that further arrests were expected.

Over the last few weeks at least one crime ring has been operating
across the West Bank, stealing Israeli cars while the drivers were
still inside.

Police have said that 13 such incidents occurred in the last two
weeks; some in Hebron and others in the West Bank. Among the stolen
vehicles were trucks loaded with merchandise.

On Sunday, a car was stolen from a woman on Route 437 near Anatot.
Police investigations reveal that a car rammed into the woman´s car
from behind and after she got out, the car was stolen from her at
knife point.

Last week, a woman driving near the town of Dir Balut had her car
stolen and in another incident, an IDF officer had his car stolen
when he stopped by the side of the road near Migdalim.

Miri Weitzman, a principal at a local girls´ school whose car was
stolen a week and a half ago said that "I was coming home from work,
suddenly a white car with a yellow (Israeli) license plate passed me
and blocked the road. I understood something bad was happening."

´They left me wih nothing´

"It all happened within seconds. I called my husband as two young men
came out, one of them broke the window next to me, the other opened
the door, grabbed my phone while screaming at me with an Arab
accent ´you want to die?´ and he threw me into the road," she noted.